Resuscitation Changes Confirmed

Resuscitation Council (UK)  - RESUSCITATION GUIDELINES 2010

The Resuscitation Council today released the 2010 Resuscitation Guidelines, a summary of the main changes to Adult Basic Life Support and the use of AED’s by laypersons can be found below. The full guidelines can be viewed and downloaded from the Resuscitation Council (UK) website.

Adult basic life support

The following changes in the basic life support (BLS) guidelines have been made to reflect the importance placed on chest compression, particularly good quality compressions, and to attempt to reduce the number and duration of pauses during chest compression:

• When obtaining help, ask for an automated external defibrillator (AED), if one is available.
• Compress the chest to a depth of 5-6 cm and at a rate of 100-120 min-1.
• Do not stop to check the victim or discontinue CPR unless the victim starts to show signs of regaining consciousness, such as coughing, opening his eyes, speaking, or moving purposefully AND starts to breathe normally.
• Teach CPR to laypeople with an emphasis on chest compression, but include ventilation as the standard, particularly for those with a duty of care.

The use of Automated External Defibrillators

There are no major changes to the sequence of actions for AED users in Guidelines 2010. The following changes are aimed mainly at increasing the use of AED’s along with clarification on when to stop CPR:

• An AED can be used safely and effectively without previous training; its use should not be restricted to trained   rescuers. Training should however be encouraged to help improve the time to shock delivery and correct pad placement
• Short video/computer self-instruction courses, with minimal or no instructor coaching, combined with hands-on practice can be considered as an effective alternative to instructor-led BLS and AED courses. Such courses should be validated to ensure that they achieve equivalent outcomes to instructor-led courses
• When using an AED minimise interruptions in chest compression. Do not stop to check the victim or discontinue CPR unless the victim starts to show signs of regaining consciousness, such as coughing, opening his eyes, speaking, or moving purposefully AND starts to breathe normally.

Source: Resuscitation Council (UK), 18th October 2010